Slytherin Intentions
by Sancia Chislaine
Summary: Blaise cheated on Padma with her best friend, SallyAnne. Draco got dumped by Pansy for a Gryffindor and Hermione gets caught in the middle of a war between three deceptive girls and two Slytherin Princes. Welcome to the game called Deception. NOT SLASH...
1. Chapter 1

Story Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the Harry Potter series.

This story is dedicated to Fleur and Mikell. I would like to thank them both for supplying me with the inspiration needed to let my imagination run wild and also for taking the time to be two of the most wonderful friends ever.

Prologue:

Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini both sat sullenly in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room. It was unnaturally cold in the dark room but neither one seemed to notice or wanted to acknowledge the frostiness of the stone dungeons. Every once in a while one of them would sigh broodingly and look at the other sharing his pain.

"Seventh year," Blaise announced gloomily, "and we're both sitting in here nursing our wounds while everyone else is in the Great Hall enjoying the opening feast."

"Aren't you being Mr. Obvious." Draco replied in the same dreary mood that had been dominating him since the end of sixth year and to Blaise's greatest displeasure, he had kept it all through the summer.

"Are you still brooding over Parkinson?" Blaise asked curiously, hoping that his best friend would say what he wanted to hear.

"When did I ever brood over Pansy?" Draco asked amusedly.

He shifted a little to his right in order to get a better view of his best friend who sat on the opposite chair. Blaise's eyebrows were perched so high that they were bordering his hair line as he looked at Draco expecting him to answer his own question.

"I never brooded over her," Draco replied indignantly, "I brooded over the fact that she broke up with me for a bloody Gryffindor!"

"Right," Blaise said. He clearly didn't buy Draco's explanation especially since he knew there was more behind it. Draco rarely ever gave a straight answer and Blaise knew fully well that this was not an exception.

"At least, I'm not the one who slept with a Ravenclaw because I was all drugged up," Draco responded bitterly, angry at Blaise for not believing him. That made him do the one thing he knew how to do best; he lashed out.

"Expect only you Zabini," he mocked, "to sleep with your Ravenclaw girlfriend's best friend at the time because you were too high to know what the hell you were doing."

Blaise looked sullenly at his best friend. "Must you always be so inconsiderate?" he questioned softly knowing that this was Draco's way of forgetting about his own problems.

"How did you not know that Perks would go after you? You damn well knew that she'd wanted you from the start of the bloody year. Did you honestly think that she would let Patil get in the way?" Draco inquired seriously.

"How is it that you got played by the dumbest twat there is?" Blaise retaliated; he was peeved that Draco was being so insensitive to how badly he felt about the mess he was in.

"At least, Pansy didn't break up with me in front of everyone on the train."

"Yeah well," Blaise thought for a second, "At least my girlfriend didn't leave me for a Gryffindor freak."

"Yeah!" Draco shouted, "At least my girlfriend and her best friend didn't bet on how easy I was. Honestly Zabini, I would have thought you had more finesse than that. Making the daft Ravenclaw cry her eyes out when Perks told the whole school that you were an easy lay..." he trailed off suddenly when he realized the almost gray look on Blaise's face.

"Continue," Blaise said quietly, "I know it's true."

"I'm sorry," Draco offered. "I'm just mad that everyone is going to know that Pansy dumped me. Can you imagine the look on Potty's face when he finds out that one of his stupid friends got the better of me," he ranted, becoming angrier as mental images of a grinning Harry flashed in his head.

"She's not with _him_ anymore." Blaise replied sympathetically, "Millicent was bickering on about Pansy telling her that she was going to make things all better between the two of you this year. Sounds like Parkinson's out to win your heart again mate."

"I don't want that wench!" Draco erupted. "I'd have to be brain dead to even think about taking her back."

"So, it's true!" Blaise replied triumphantly as the wheels in his head started turning and he processed everything, "You have a thing for another girl!" he proclaimed.

"Have you gone daft?" Draco asked seriously. The last thing he needed right now was another one of Blaise's accusations. Honestly the boy could go on for hours until finally he came to some sort of preposterous conclusion that he would take upon himself to accomplish.

"Shut it Malfoy," Blaise laughed excitedly, "Listen to me"

"I'm not sure I want to." Draco cut in, noticing the glint in his companion's eyes.

Blaise ignored him however and continued saying, "I never bought any of your bullshit this summer, especially when you told me you were planning to get back with her. Lucius must have told you that you would have to keep 'acquaintances' with Pansy didn't he?" Blaise questioned but didn't wait for Draco to reply. "That's why you were brooding all summer long, wasn't it. You must've fancied someone else after you and Parkinson broke up and you were brooding because your father wouldn't accept it." He was on a roll, everything seemed to make perfect sense now, "You were never brooding over Pansy."

"Didn't I just say that about five minutes ago?" Draco drawled. His determination to admit to nothing was on overdrive and he sure as hell would not admit anything to Blaise since it would only serve to further cause the lunatic to ramble on.

"Shut up! Let me finish," Blaise replied heatedly. "I think I've figured it out."

"There is nothing to figure out, Zabini." Draco warned.

"Draco, I've known you since I was two. Trust me, there is something more behind all of this," Blaise said matter-of-factly.

"Why must you always make assumptions?" Draco asked wearily trying to avoid whatever silly conclusion Blaise would come to.

"I'm not making assumptions," Blaise smiled. "It's the truth."

"When did you get so cocky?" Draco asked.

"When did you become so evasive?" Blaise shot back. "You've been trying to avoid the topic since the very moment I mentioned there was someone else. You and I both know that what I'm saying is the truth Draco. Now listen," he commanded. "You've fancied this girl, probably even while you were with Parkinson. Which caused Pansy to look elsewhere, didn't it?" Blaise acknowledged.

"Zabini come off it already," Draco laughed nervously, "You're beginning to sound ridiculous."

"I'm close aren't I," Blaise said matter-of-factly as he wormed up to his soon-to-be-revealed conclusion.

"You're hanging around Granger too much," Draco commented without thinking.

"What did you say?" Blaise asked in shock but Draco remained quiet. Quiet enough for Blaise to become suspicious.

"How did she come up?"

"I don't know!" Draco said defensively. "Look, alright I do fancy someone but you wouldn't know her, so just leave it alone."

"Well, who is it then if I don't know her?" Blaise raised his perfect eyebrow curiously and stared at Draco expectantly.

"You don't know her."

"How do you know if I know her or not?" Blaise quipped.

"What do you plan on doing about Patil?" Draco asked, diverting the topic abruptly away from himself.

"I don't know," Blaise replied, all the sparks of the previous conversation leaving him, "Padma knows that I didn't intentionally do anything because she found out about that demon Perks drugging me but she still won't forgive me,' Blaise continued, his words laced with resignation.

"You've never been one to take a no for an answer," Draco replied, "Why is it so different now?"

Blaise looked at his companion and smiled bitterly, "I think she was it."

"It?"

"Laine." Blaise answered as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"You listened to that twat you call a sister?" Draco asked outraged. "I don't even want to know what that bat said to you."

He calmed himself for a minute and then stared at Blaise again, "What did she say?"

"I thought you didn't want to hear what the 'bat' had to say," Blaise laughed.

"I need to know what she said so I can fix it," Draco said stubbornly.

"Fine. She said that Padma was probably the one. The 'IT' girl so to speak."

"Ok, so I didn't need to hear that to fix anything," Draco laughed, "Even you know that's stupid."

"I don't really," Blaise answered sadly, "It's like right now, I'd do anything to get her back but at the same time I want her to hurt just as much as I'm hurting because she knows I wouldn't have done anything as stupid if wasn't for that stupid… Merlin I hate Perks."

"Let it go," Draco said simply.

"What?"

"Let them go," he said again, "Mother told me the same thing, and look how much better off I am now."

"If you're so much better off then why are you sitting here?" Blaise asked mockingly.

"Because I want what I can't have." Draco said quietly.

"The way you make it sound it's as though she's a Gryffindor." Blaise laughed, forgetting the seriousness of the last conversation.

Draco looked up shyly, something that Blaise noted, and answered, "The grass is always greener on the other side."

"I'd say it was red and gold," Blaise grinned.

"I won't lie," Draco stated monotonously.

"Drastic times call for drastic measures," Blaise said feigning seriousness, "Let's hear who it is then."

"It's quite simple," Draco said in an unfamiliar tone, "Everything that's nothing special," he concluded.

"And the Cryptic King speaks everyone," Blaise said sarcastically.

"Look, can't you leave everything the way it is?" Draco asked.

Blaise shook his head negatively. "It won't be fair. Perks has to get what she deserves, Parkinson and Padma need to be thought a lesson about never crossing the two best looking Slytherin Princes for decades and you mate need to tell me who the mystery Gryffindor is."

Draco grinned slyly completely ignoring the last part of Blaise's statement, "I like the sound of this already. What do you have in mind?" he asked curiously.

"Why not give Perks a taste of her own medicine," Blaise answered, "When one Slytherin Prince falls "

"The other comes to his rescue," Draco cut in, "Any suggestions then?" he asked.

"Why of course," Blaise smirked devilishly. "How would you like to do your best friend a favor?" he asked cunningly.

"What do I get out of it?"

"It doesn't take half a brain to figure out who you fancy, you idiot." Blaise shot back.

"You wouldn't dare blackmail me," Draco warned.

"Must you be so dim witted?" Blaise drawled, "You help me and I'll help you. After all, who would actually think the 'Great' Draco Malfoy would secretly fancy Hermione Granger?"

"How you ever came to such a conclusion is beyond me" Draco said exasperatedly.

"I'm not blind nor am I tasteless," Blaise grinned.

"And you call me the Cryptic King," Draco mumbled. "What's your plan then?"

"Let's go eat," Blaise replied, "It'll be worked out by the time we come back."

And with that, the once brooding Slytherin Princes got up from the uncomfortably cold couches and headed to the Great Hall, spirits renewed and hearts fluttering as revenge invoked their minds. Plotting against Gryffindor turned into a thing of the past while Ravenclaw became their newest target.

A/N: THIS IS THE PROLOGUE!


	2. Chapter 2

Story Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series nor am I affiliated with Harry Potter and Co. The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowlings.

This story is dedicated to **Mikell** (Miz Thang) and **Fleur** (Siaram). I would like to thank them both for supplying me with the inspiration needed to let my imagination run wild and also for taking the time to be two of the most wonderful friends ever. You're both always there when I need you and never get tired of me when I'm ranting about my silly ideas. Thank You.

A/N: I began writing this story before Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was released therefore it has now become an AU story due to the fact that Professor Dumbledore is still the Head Master and Professor Snape is also still the Potions Master.

**Chapter One:** A feud can only last so long before another one begins.

Dancing yellow sunbeams playfully enveloped the Charms classroom as this year's seventh year future Aurors, Ministry Executives, and Medi witches alike filed into the room. As predicted, the small group of assorted students separated into their respective houses and took their seats at different corners of the room then patiently awaiting their professor.

Professor Flitwick walked briskly into the room, as fast as his tiny body could manage and took his usual stance on a tall stack of books behind his desk. "Why good morning seventh years," he said cheerfully.

Expect only the little man, brilliant yet oblivious, to be bubbly in a room filled with a lingering sense of animosity. He grinned lopsidedly and continued on, "Professor Dumbledore has requested once again that all students be seated with someone from another house. Since I am your first teacher today, whomever you are seated with here will be your counterpart for every class you share together. However some professors may change you around a bit if they don't find your pair suitable," he announced.

"Watch it be my luck that I end up sitting with Malfoy," Harry grumbled to Ron.

"How unfortunate that only twelve of you decided to continue Charms," he said sadly, "Anyway, mustn't waste any time."

He looked around at the twelve students and smiled, "Mister Goyle," he called, "Why don't you and Miss Padma Patil take the first table."

Padma's eyes grew wide as she headed toward the first table where two chairs waited in the front of the classroom. She was followed annoying close by an even bulkier Gregory Goyle who occasionally grunted as he walked.

"Miss Parvati Patil, would you also take your stuff and sit at the second table with Mister Boot," Professor Flitwick smiled.

"So far, so good," Ron muttered quietly to Harry and Hermione who were both looking on eagerly.

"What are the odds of one of us having to sit with Malfoy?" Harry asked quietly.

"Mister Malfoy," Professor Flitwick called as if on cue, "third table please with Mister Potter."

"I had to ask, didn't I?" Harry mumbled bitterly. He took his books from where he sat next to Hermione and Ron and walked to the third table forlornly only to be greeted by a malicious looking Malfoy.

"Mister Zabini, you and Miss Granger can sit at the fourth table and Mister Longbottom and Miss Perks at the fifth. Mister Weasley and Miss Parkinson at the sixth table if you will," he finished.

When everyone was seated the tiny professor continued, "These may or may not be the same partners you have in each class since not all of you have taken the same courses but you will be doing many projects and reports with your partner in many classes, my class especially so I would advise that you form some sort of friendship to make the workload easier."

Hermione smiled politely at Blaise. "Thank Merlin," she whispered softly.

"You're telling me," Blaise laughed. "I thought I would get paired up with Longbottom."

"We won't be doing any work today since I thought it would be nice for all of you to acquaint yourselves with your partner. Tomorrow, however, the real work will begin," the professor smiled.

Harry turned around and looked at Hermione sadly. "I'll trade partners with you," he pleaded.

"I'm touched Potter." Blaise smiled, "Is Draco too much for you to handle?"

"I can hear you Zabini," Draco turned around scowling, "I wouldn't mind having the Weasel for a partner instead of this sad excuse for a wizard."

A smiled tugged at the edges of Hermione's lips, "He's a better wizard than you'll ever be, Malfoy." She spat bitterly.

"Oh look its Granger," Draco replied sinisterly. "You're still sticking your nose in other people's business as usual I see."

"Young love," Blaise smirked mischievously. "Can't leave the two of you together for one minute or you'll be down each other's throats." He grinned at the double meaning of his words as they caused Draco to break out in a fit of nervous coughing.

Harry frowned when he noticed what Blaise had implied, "The only way I see them ever being down each other's throats, Zabini," he said seriously, "is during a dueling match that most likely Malfoy would have started."

"I think so too," Blaise replied, feigning seriousness. "He'd probably also take the opportunity to show her his lucky charms."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, showing signs of a very confused psyche. Her puzzled demeanor continued as she stared at Blaise before she turned to Harry, completely ignoring Malfoy in the process, and continued, "Am I supposed to know what you're talking about?"

"Of course not." Draco drawled. "Wouldn't expect the little Gryffindor virgin to know what such lewd words mean," he finished in a mocking tone.

"What did you just call her?" Harry asked in outrage. He seemed to have been the only one paying attention to what Draco was saying, as Hermione had turned around before Draco had even began to reply and was now conversing animatedly with Neville who was sitting at the table behind.

"Leave it alone Draco," Blaise cautioned before the blond Slytherin had time to repeat his previous statement. "Shouldn't you and Potter be forming some sort of bond like the professor advised? I do believe a lot of your grades will depend on your cooperation with each other."

Harry laughed dryly as he looked between Blaise and Hermione, who still wasn't paying any attention to them, "You spend way too much time with her," he said to Blaise. "Next you'll be telling us to study for our N.E.W.T.S."

"Actually, it's funny you should mention that, Potter," Draco said snidely. "It was only last night that I mentioned to Zabini how much he was beginning to sound like the little mud-" he cut off abruptly only to add, "like Granger."

Harry stared almost accusingly at Draco for what could have been a good minute. He then looked at Blaise who was grinning almost devilishly, and lastly to Hermione who wasn't even paying attention to them since she had gone into an all out speech about Neville being able to handle whatever foul things Snape would think up this year to say to him.

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" Harry asked in a tone that one would only presume meant trouble.

Draco's features visibly hardened as he stared viciously at Harry. "What nonsense do you have playing around in that tiny little brain of yours Potter?" he spat condescendingly.

At the exact same moment that the insult left Draco's mouth, Hermione turned around briskly and shot flaming daggers at him. "Why Malfoy, you mustn't think that everyone's brain is the same size as yours. I can assure you at this very moment that we don't all have peanuts for thinking like you do."

Draco scowled menacingly at her and opened his mouth to retaliate but was cut off soundlessly by Blaise, "Oh look at that."

Blaise pointed to Padma and Goyle who were at the front of the room. Padma had her left hand pressed firmly against Goyle's immense shoulder while her right hand held a book which she seemed to be using to hit him over the head. All the while Goyle just seemed to be grunting.

"Miss Patil!" Professor Flitwick squeaked from over the top of his stack of books behind his desk. "Stop this instant!"

His voice however was drowned out by shouts from the remaining unruly students and by Padma's screams of rage and Goyle's hideous grunts.

"Relashio!" the professor squeaked which caused Padma to release the book. He then followed the previous charm with a simple, "Wingardium Leviosa," and levitated Goyle away from Padma's still striking right hand.

"I can not believe that my seventh years would resort to such childish behavior," Professor Flitwick said his tone laced with disappointment. "Miss Patil, you and Mister Goyle will be serving detention with each other for the rest of this week with any professor that is willing to have you help them clean out their classrooms and offices."

"Yes, professor," the two mentioned students mumbled.

"Now the class is almost over anyway. You may all leave."

The twelve students all gathered their things and surprisingly enough headed to the dungeons. It was refreshing to the five Gryffindors that they did not have a double of Potions with a room full of Slytherins. Yes, there may still have been four of the most notorious Slytherin seventh years in the classroom but the light sprinkling of Ravenclaws caused a slight glimmer of hope.

Unlike the previous class, they all kept silent as they sat in the same order Professor Flitwick had arranged. They all assumed that Professor Snape would comply with Dumbledore's orders to enforce house unity, so it was a surprise when he stormed into the room and started barking commands.

"I will not tolerate any mishaps in my classroom this year," he eyed them hatefully. "Get up and stand against the wall on the far left of the room."

Hesitant at first, everyone seemed to wait for someone else to be the first to get up.

"Get up!" Snape bellowed, causing shrieks from the Patil twins.

Draco, Blaise and Pansy all got up leisurely and strolled to the appointed spot on the left of the room followed closely by a still grunting Goyle. Seeing that the Slytherins had made it safely across the room, everyone else followed.

"Now that you've all decided to use your brains and followed instructions, we can stop wasting time," Snape whispered dangerously. "I won't have a bunch of incompetent fools mucking up everything. You'll be partnered with someone of equal potion making skill," he eyed Neville spitefully.

"Both Patils at the first desk," he barked. "Perks and Boot at the second desk. Goyle and Longbottom, take the table behind them. Weasley and Parkinson, fourth table. Hurry up, Weasley! We haven't got all day." He reprimanded Ron, who was in a bit of a stupor after processing that Pansy would be his partner again.

"Malfoy and Granger, fifth table, and Potter and Zabini, take the sixth desk." He commanded with flourish.

No professor in their right mind would leave three of the most unstable students at the back of a classroom, but Professor Snape seemed to think that it would be beneficial to him since he smirked almost appreciatively. His eyes lingered for a moment on Harry and Blaise, both having managed to sit without complaining about their partner. He then focused on Draco and Hermione who were the exact opposite, sitting so far away from each other that their chairs were barely behind their shared desk.

"Five points from Gryffindor Miss Granger for attempting to block the passage way," Snape sneered.

Hermione unwillingly brought her legs under the table, moving her chair away from the passage way and closer to Draco, who was obviously thinking along the same lines; that it would be unprofitable to try Snape's patience. Thus, causing him to slither closer to Hermione until they were seated like everyone else and Snape looked away.

A double of Potions didn't come across as horrifying for the first ten minutes of class to the uneasy students until the silence sustained and became completely unbearable. Professor Snape sat behind his desk as if silently analyzing each of them individually, causing Neville's eyes to twitch when Snape stood up abruptly and waved his wand at the clean chalkboard whispering a simple spell that produced the day's instructions.

Mutely hoping that it would be anything that involved the least amount of work with their partners, the unusual group scribbled down their assignment and quickly set to work only coming up for air; or so it seemed, when the bell rang.

It would have been a complete miracle if everything had gone perfectly for the Gryffindors but of course Snape had his way and Ron was left to clean up the mess Pansy had accidentally spilled when she pushed over their cauldron. Muttering darkly to himself, Ron had set to the task while everyone else left the room and headed for lunch in the Great Hall.

Draco seemed to be the most relieved as he stormed out of the dungeon without a second glance at the morbid Potions professor who was looking darkly at the pitiful attempt Ron was making at cleaning away the sticky mess on the table.

Slightly worried, Harry and Hermione slowly trudged out of the class after being assured by Ron that he would catch up with them at lunch or in their next class. Blaise realized that he had no one to walk to the Great Hall with and followed closely behind the duo, until he found himself striding alongside them.

"Remind me again," said Harry, addressing Blaise as they walked along together, "why you call Malfoy your best friend?"

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. "That's very rude."

Blaise grinned slightly; this was probably the fifth time this year that Harry had asked him the same question and it was only the first day back for crying out loud. "Again Potter, my answer is the same as the last couple of times you've asked me. Draco and I are too similar for our own good and I find it much better to be working together than against each other. It's quite advantageous, really."

By the time they had ascended the steps, Ginny was already there, waiting eagerly for Hermione. She pulled her away from Harry and Blaise, wanting to retell what she'd found utterly hilarious in her own classes.

Blaise chuckled slightly as Harry shivered inwardly with a look of horror on his face. "She's not as big a nut job as my sister," Blaise remarked, "So be happy."

As if Blaise's words brought him out of his horrific day dream, Harry looked across at him sternly, "What were you and Malfoy playing at this morning in Charms?"

"What are you talking about, Potter?" Blaise asked impishly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't play dumb with me, Zabini. You and Malfoy, you're up to something. Why were you hinting at him like that about Hermione? And why did he stop himself from calling her a… you know what?" Harry responded, not wanting to hear himself say "mudblood" anymore than he liked hearing Draco say it.

"He hasn't called her _that_ since fifth year," Blaise stressed. "Maybe he's changed," he said offhandedly, "Who knows with him anyway?"

"Zabini, Hermione's your friend," Harry warned. "You'd protect her, wouldn't you?" he sounded more like he was reassuring himself rather than asking Blaise a question.

Blaise looked at him as though wondering if the boy had sniffed a potion ingredient that had gone bad. Harry's face was contorted strangely and his eyes had that far away look in them that clearly stated he was deep in thought. Blaise knew that look well. After all, he hadn't spent all of sixth year as Hermione Granger's partner in almost every subject without at least noticing some of her quirks. The look on Harry's face was most definitely one of them.

The rest of the three point five minutes that it took to walk to the Great Hall was spent in silence. Neither boy made an attempt to converse with the other. Blaise still stared at Harry as if the boy was off and Harry kept the faraway look that rivaled that of Loony Lovegood's.

"You're walking past your table, Potter," Blaise almost laughed but was still too freaked out by Harry's actions to actually smile.

"Oh right," Harry said. "Right."

Blaise gave him another curious look and then strode over to the Slytherin table where Malfoy was already sitting, devouring a chicken leg. "Potter really is a weird one, isn't he?"

"What?" Draco paused in his eating to look up at his friend.

"He had a Loony Lovegood moment when we were walking here. He asked about you and Hermione and then all of a sudden he went off to La La land," Blaise replied.

"Enough about Potter already, Zabini," Draco began coldly. "We still haven't discussed how exactly we're going to teach _those_ three a lesson yet."

"We don't need to plan anything for Parkinson," Blaise said calculatingly. "She's suffering as it is already. The Gryffindors are having a field day with her."

"I never thought the day would come when I would actually be thankful for Potter and the Gryffindors," Draco cackled evilly.

"Speaking of Gryffindors," Blaise grinned impishly, "I couldn't help but notice that you and Hermione were awfully close together in potions."

They both looked automatically at the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sitting next to Ginny and across from Harry, who still looked deep in thought. Neither of the girls seemed to be paying any attention to him though, as they were both conversing about only God knows what.

Hermione sputtered slightly then, causing Ginny to breakout into fits of giggles that were drowned out by the noise that was already dominating the hall. Draco and Blaise shuddered as they turned to look at each other.

"They're all mental," Draco said in disbelief. "Potter looks like he's carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders while Granger's trying to choke herself to death and Weasley's giggling like a lunatic."

"She's a strange bint, that Weasley girl," Blaise commented. He and Draco turned back to the Gryffindor table in time to see Ginny topple over a goblet of pumpkin juice that she had been reaching for.

"I never thought she was right in the head to begin with," Draco added. "Those maniacs she's got as brothers must have tested a few too many of their inventions on her."

The juice had spilled into Harry's dish, snapping him out of whatever deep thought he'd been in and making him jump out of his seat quickly. What made matters really worst was that Harry had knocked Lavender Brown upside the head while jumping up and she had managed to leak pumpkin juice all down the front of her robes. Seamus Finnigan then spewed food out of his mouth, causing Lavender to shriek.

Hermione flat out laughed as Ginny fell over backwards giggling. Harry was scowling at Ginny, not finding the humor in the entire thing, while Lavender whacked him continuously on the shoulder, whining about how hard it would be to get the stain off of her robes. Seamus was in no better position at all; Dean Thomas had to knock him on the back to stop him from choking on the residue of what had once been in his mouth.

"They're hopeless," Draco said, staring at Blaise as though it were the first time he had actually seen anything so bewildering.

Draco wanted to talk about anything but what had just happened at the Gryffindor table and had been about to start a new topic of discussion when he noticed that Hermione and Ginny had stopped laughing. Actually, it seemed as if everyone had stopped what they were doing and were now staring openly at the Ravenclaw table, gazes riveted. Hermione's jaw hung open, eyes wide in shock, and Draco looked to see what had taken her by surprise.

He too felt his jaw hang loosely as his eyes fell on Terry Boot, the shy Ravenclaw whose face was hardly ever uncovered by a thick book. The boy was engaged in some sort of war with the girl next to him. She had taken over the job of his usual textbook acquaintance and was lodged onto his face. For a moment Draco thought the girl might have been trying to suck his soul out but that was by far the least horrifying part of the whole commotion. When the female Ravenclaw surfaced for air, he was rendered senseless.

Padma Patil, the self proclaimed virgin, had been snogging Terry Boot into oblivion and looked as though she was about to go in for the kill once more.

Draco turned at breakneck speed towards Blaise, hoping that the other boy had not seen the shameful display. His nerves calmed as he noticed that Blaise was still staring at the Weasley girl whose jaw was hanging off its hinges.

"Really is a strange bint."

Draco laughed nervously.

"Wonder what she's staring at?" Blaise questioned. "They've all got that Loony Lovegood look, haven't they?"

At that exact same moment, Blaise raised his goblet to his lips and traced her view, only to send bits of shredded chicken and pumpkin juice across the table seconds later. His jaw clamped shut in anger and the hairs on the back of his neck stood as straight as soldiers.

Padma and Terry were at it again, but this time Padma seemed to have latched her arm around his neck and was pulling him with a surprising amount of strength as if to hold his head in place so he wouldn't be able to move away.

"Of all the despicable things the wretched bint could do." Blaise muttered darkly as he got up and stormed out of the Great Hall, slamming the monstrous oak doors shut.

Hermione jumped as the door banged closed, giving herself enough time to regain her composure. She glanced timidly at the Slytherin table, hoping that Blaise hadn't seen the incident, which she knew was highly unlikely. She had no doubt that Blaise had probably been the one who had left in such a hurry.

She saw that Draco's jaw was still hanging open much like everyone else's but his fists were clenched. That's when she noticed that his eyes were not on Padma and Terry but on Sally-Anne Perks who was sitting further down the Ravenclaw table with her wand pointed at the shameless couple, muttering profusely.

Sally-Anne was casting some sort of charm, Hermione was sure of it. From Draco's reaction, he had also figured it out. Draco's jaw became rigid within seconds and his eyes hardened, but before Hermione could further observe any more of his changes, Harry poked her in the rib.

"Was that Zabini that left?" he questioned at the same time that Professor McGonagall ascended the staff table and almost pried Padma off of Terry, giving them both detentions for unsuitable behavior.

"I believe he did because he's no longer in the hall," Hermione responded as her eyes once again rested on Draco, who at that precise moment had gotten up and was walking over to the Ravenclaw table.

She didn't know what to expect. Would Draco really perform some vicious act on any of the Ravenclaws for hurting his best friend in front of the entire staff table? Her question was answered shortly when Draco stopped leisurely next to Sally-Anne and smirked, causing the menacing blonde girl to giggle flirtatiously.

Harry, who was also staring at the encounter, seemed to be appalled by Malfoy's action. It was no secret to any male student and to quite a few female students as well at Hogwarts that Sally-Anne Perks was a good example of a scarlet, a heartless bitch so to speak. What was Draco Malfoy doing openly flirting with her like that was beyond Harry.

"Are you seeing Malfoy?" Harry asked Hermione, trying to make sure that he himself was really seeing the whole ordeal.

"Malfoy's lost his mind," Hermione said with finality, indicating to Harry that, that was the only explanation she had. "He wouldn't dare go behind Blaise's back like that," she added as an afterthought.

"It looks like it to me," Harry said as he nodded his head in the direction of Draco and Sally-Anne who were both strolling out of the oak doors together.

A/N: Well there you have it, the very first chapter of Slytherin Intentions. I know it has taken me over two month to update this story but I will be making up for the lack of updates all throughout this week and the next since I will continue to write until I have posted at least five more chapters.

Special thanks to:

**FizzingWhizbeez**: Yes I thought it would be interesting to have Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw instead of the usual Slytherin vs. Gryffindor to. I am also a Draco/Hermione fan so you have nothing to worry about and although Hermione plays a big part in the Slytherin Princes' plan she will not be used in any way that she does not allow.

**Miss.Ed**: Thank you very much for your kind words and I am very flattered that you would credit my writing skills and hope that you enjoy this chapter just as much as you liked the prologue.

**Juidinan**: After you made me blush for a good ten minutes straight I don't think it's possible for me to thank you enough. I hope that this chapter is just as satisfying as the last.

**Foamythesquirellmistress**: Compliments on the username. I hope your curiosity didn't get the better of you and I apologize for not updating sooner.

**l-xHeRmIoNexMaLfOyxZaBiNi-l**: I have indeed been to your profile page. You are very creative and I especially love your story _Helping Her_.

**The Black Pearl is Freedom**: I was very touched that you decided to add me to your Alerts list and was even more pleased that you enjoyed the prologue. Trust me when I say that you made my day when I received your review after so many months of posting this story.

Review please everyone and tell me what you're expecting because I really want to see if anyone is close to figuring out the hidden clues.

_**ANGEL **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Story Disclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter series nor am I affiliated with Harry Potter and Co. The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowlings.

This story is dedicated to **Mikell** (Miz Thang) and **Fleur** (Siaram). I would like to thank them both for supplying me with the inspiration needed to let my imagination run wild and also for taking the time to be two of the most wonderful friends ever. You're both always there when I need you and never get tired of me when I'm ranting about my silly ideas. Thank You. And I also appreciate the fact that you take time off of writing your own stories to beta mine.

A/N: I began writing this story before Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was released therefore it has now become an AU story due to the fact that Professor Dumbledore is still the Head Master and Professor Snape is also still the Potions Master.

**Chapter Two:** Tales of Deception.

Dinner had only recently begun when Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini swaggered into the Great Hall loftily causing each member of the Golden Trio to look up alertly. Harry, being the first to sense the change in the atmosphere had nudged Hermione lightly in the side until she too stared openly at the two princes and tapped Ron on the shoulder.

"Do you think Zabini knows about what happened at lunch yet?" Harry asked quietly.

"I wasn't even here and I heard about it," said Ron, rubbing his chin as though assessing the matter with great amounts of concentration. "They don't seem any different to me."

"Of course they wouldn't seem any different yet," Hermione retorted. "Blaise is probably in denial. He wouldn't expect Malfoy to betray him like that."

"Maybe its revenge," said Ginny. She had been listening to the conversation and decided it was about time she added her input. "Maybe Malfoy is taking revenge on Blaise for not telling him about Pansy."

"Why would he possibly want revenge on Zabini because of Pansy?" asked Ron confusedly. "If anything he'd take revenge on poor-"

"Look," Hermione cut him off, "Pansy's walking in."

Pansy strolled into the Great Hall followed by a few giggling younger year Slytherins. She pranced past the Gryffindor table and cast her eyes hatefully at Neville who only snorted in recognition. Pretending that she had not even seen him, she gracefully raised her head a little higher and continued on her way to the Slytherin table.

"Malfoy didn't even look up!" Harry almost screamed causing a giggle from Ginny.

"Since when have you ever cared what Malfoy did or didn't do for that matter?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Harry gave an annoyed sort of grunt and continued on with his meal never taking his eyes away from Blaise or Draco for even a second.

* * *

Dinner had been a quiet affair for both princes as they entered the Slytherin Common Room. Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred except for a few whispers and glances directed at them but that was to be expected.

Lazily running his hand through his silky black hair, Blaise watched as an amber owl flew through the common room and landed at Draco's feet. It waited a few seconds until the letter was safely in Draco's hand and then vanished once again out of the dungeon. It always intrigued him how they got into the dungeons in the first place. It was a known fact that the Slytherin wing of Hogwarts was almost like a muggle basement and therefore had no windows.

"Who's it from?" he asked calmly.

"Mother," Draco answered almost unhappily. "It's not even the end of the first day yet," he said in disbelief, "and she's already writing."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that sour look," Blaise said sarcastically.

Draco smirked and tore the envelope open roughly. His eyes scanned the glossy parchment that his mother insisted to spend large amounts of money on and he frowned, "Mother expects me to befriend some strange chit that's transferred here. Says the _poor_ girl's a shy one." He sniggered mockingly.

"The _poor_ girl's probably an ugly bat!" Blaise chortled. "No wonder she wouldn't have friends and needs parenting orders to acquire them."

"You'd expect mother to know better than to put me in charge of something she wanted to survive wouldn't you?" Draco asked devilishly.

"I'm afraid to ask what you'll have the _poor_ thing doing this year."

Staring at nothing in particular Draco let out a low sigh, indicating that he was ready to forget about his mother's orders, "Did you find that Boot kid today?"

Noticing that the conversation had gone from playful to somewhat serious, the lingering smile on Blaise's face vanished, "I don't see a point in looking for him really," he answered. "He can't be of much use if you think about it."

"Come on," Draco coaxed. "If we declare war on two Ravenclaws, we might as well take the whole house down with them."

"I guess you have a point then," Blaise smirked, staring distractedly into the fire as he shifted in the leather chair.

"My mother would have a cow if she saw you slouching like that," Draco announced, watching amusedly as Blaise spread his right leg over the arm of the chair and rested his head carelessly on his bended knee.

"Your mother would have a cow if someone didn't put a water resistant charm on the table before they put a glass down," Blaise mocked.

"True but she would-" Draco started but ended abruptly as his eyes fell on the approaching figure.

The figure glided gracefully down the staircase of the girls' dormitory, a seductive redhead that gave off an aura of confidence and superiority. In her hand was a glossy piece of parchment, and her purplish grey eyes shone from the candle light as she scanned it. She looked around quizzically as though in search of a lost trinket until her eyes landed on the blond prince himself.

She strolled almost intoxicatingly slow towards him and looked down the bridge of her symmetrical nose, "Bonjour, êtes-vous Draco Malfoy?" The words spilt from her lips like a dew drop rolling off a flower petal. (Hello, are you Draco Malfoy?)

"Ça dépend qui le demande," Draco drawled, regaining his composer and directed his eyes to her face. (It depends on why you're asking?)

Blaise who had been carelessly sprawled on the armchair sat up considerably straight. He ran his hand through his hair inconspicuously and plastered a smirk across his face as he too directed his attention at the newcomer. Charm seemed to radiate off her features and both princes seemed to be wrapped around her presence.

"Je suis Jaden Miraltar. Votre mère a demandé que je vous rencontre," she announced with finality. "Puis-je savoir c'est à quel propos?" she asked, handing him the piece of parchment. (I am Jaden Miraltar. Your mother wanted us to meet. What is this about?)

Draco's eyes scanned the parchment in shock but his features remained as impassive as ever. He looked up for a brief second and then stared at Blaise with a bemused expression on his face. "_Poor_ thing indeed," he said wolfishly.

"My mother definitely knows better than to leave me in charge of anything like this," Blaise winked.

"You do realize that I can understand you, don't you?" the redhead asked testily in a perfect English accent, shocking both Draco and Blaise.

Draco chuckled slightly and extended his hand to the feisty girl while still seated, "Draco Malfoy."

"Yes, well I've already figured that out, don't you think?" she replied as she ignored his attempt at a hand shake.

Draco set his hand down insolently, "My mother said you were shy," he drawled lazily.

"Your mother also said you were _charming_," she retorted with the same impatience as before, "I have yet to see _your_ so called charm."

Blaise sniggered slightly which earned him a murderous glare from Draco, "Blaise Zabini." He stood up and extended his hand.

Jaden looked at his outstretched hand in curiosity, taking a moment before she reached forward and attempted to lightly shake his hand, seeming as though she wanted to avoid as much physical contact as possible. Blaise, being the cunning, devil he was, grasped her soft limb and kissed it lightly. To anyone, it would seem as if Blaise had found a new interest.

"Was that _your_ attempt at being charming?" she asked. Her voice sounded melodic and sweet, almost like sugar itself, but her words had an edge that was just a bit frosty and cutting. Blaise smirked at her in response, and she batted her eyelashes seductively, going in for the kill. "I'd say it was rather weak."

"Is that a tear I see in your eye, Zabini?" Draco mocked, smirking contemptuously at Blaise who was scowling in admiration at the leering redhead. "Sharp isn't she?"

"Yes, well then I should be heading off to bed, shouldn't I?" she smirked back. "Wouldn't want to cause a water works show." She looked at Blaise, who seemed to be using every bit of his energy not to crack a smile and then back at Draco, "Good night Malfoy, it was _truly_ a pleasure to meet you. Do tell me if you want to have tea and biscuits some time." She said sarcastically as she smiled discreetly at Blaise, "I'll be seeing you around, Zabini."

"That's wonderful," Draco drawled. "Maybe before you go, I can request a favor of you?"

"Oh, enlighten me on what you would have me do?" she asked with disinterest.

"Zabini's jaw seems to have lost its mobility. Maybe you can shut it because I do believe I see drool seeping out at the sides."

Blaise's head moved at break neck speed as he turned to Draco and glared. "If he has a problem with his jaw, he can fix it himself. I will not resort to such things as cleaning up after him. I'll have you know I'm no bloody house elf!" Jaden replied indignantly.

She spun on her heels elegantly and smirked as she walked away knowing fully well that she had left in her wake, two utterly shocked young men.

"Remind me to thank mother, will you," Draco said sardonically after finally regaining his calm demeanor. "She sent me a bloody bint that has the personality of a raving lunatic!"

"Actually," Blaise smirked as he returned to his previous position in the armchair, "I thought she was rather entertaining. Reminded me a bit of that Weasley girl."

"What is it with you and those good for nothing Gryffindors?" Draco asked accusingly. "Next thing you'll be telling me is you fancy that little weasel!"

"I'm not the one with the crush on Granger, Draco," Blaise said heatedly as he scowled at the blond, who had the same blaze glittering in his eyes.

Both had hit a nerve with the other and neither appreciated the fact that one would have to retreat and start the conversation again. After what felt like hours of a deafening silence when in reality it was only about two minutes, Blaise sighed, "I nicked her timetable today."

"You nicked Granger's timetable?" Draco asked in disbelief, forgetting that he was only moments ago ready to strangle the nauseating boy in front of him.

Blaise reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a blank piece of parchment. He grabbed his wand from its spot on his waist and tapped the white fabric lightly. Within seconds, ink spread across the sheet and formed a neat print out of Hermione's timetable. He tossed it at Draco.

Draco looked at it for a moment with disinterest and then folded it into a small square before depositing it into his pocket. "She has all the same classes as us both. She has Ancient Runes with me separately and Arithmancy with you," he announced idly. "We're allowed to have six classes maximum, expect only Granger to take it upon herself to do seven."

* * *

A new day had begun at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as twelve rather unusual students stood outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor awaiting their professor. Just as each new year would have it, a new member would be joining the staff to fill the vacant spot.

"Wonder who it is this year?" Ron asked quietly from his stance against the cold wall.

"I doubt we'd get a possessed loon or a shallow wombat again. Maybe if luck would favor us, we might get another werewolf but it's quite impossible," Harry laughed. "I hear there aren't that many people posing as Moody lately so maybe Umbridge might flutter in again or we could have that smelly old toad from last year."

"Quite impossible is it, Harry?" Remus Lupin asked from behind the raven haired boy.

Harry, Hermione and Ron's faces lit up with excitement, "Why didn't you tell us you would be teaching this year?" Hermione asked jovially.

"I thought it'd be a nice surprise," replied Professor Lupin as he opened the doors and ushered the class in.

Everyone quietly stood at the back of the room and waited for instructions since they expected Professor Lupin to arrange their partner just as their two teachers from the previous day had.

"Oh, I'm quite satisfied with whomever you choose to work with as long as they're in a different house," Lupin grinned.

Neville walked quickly to Padma, Parvati to Terry and Ron to Sally-Anne. Seeing that it was only a bunch of Gryffindors and Slytherins left, Hermione sighed. She walked over to Draco and sat down dejectedly. Harry followed suit and he and Blaise sat behind them.

"I'm afraid we have two Slytherins remaining," Lupin said as he watched with amusement the partners that Harry and Hermione had chosen. His hopes for an entertaining year were starting to solidify. "Miss Parvati Patil, why don't you and Mister Boot switch partners with Mister Goyle and Miss Parkinson?" he suggested and received a scowl from Terry who rose up out of his chair and traded places with Goyle at the last table.

"Very well," said the wolfish professor. "You are well aware of who I am so I won't waste time on an introduction. Today, we will begin chapter three of your textbook; Merpeople. I am well aware that you all know what they are but can anyone give me a definition that can help us all get a clearer idea?"

Almost instantaneously, Hermione's hand shot into the air. The professor nodded and she began, "Merpeople are underwater dwellers who build cities at the bottom of lakes. They have fishtails, green hair and grey skin, and they fish with spears. Above water their voices are unintelligible."

"Very good Miss Granger," Professor Lupin said proudly. "Five points to Gryffindor."

"Know-it-all," Draco mumbled under his breath from his seat next to Hermione.

"What was that, Malfoy?" she asked irritably.

"Are you hearing things, Granger?" he said mockingly. "I don't believe I was talking to you."

"Right, so turn to chapter three and copy the importance of their hair," Professor Lupin concluded as he seated himself behind his desk.

"You know, they elected to be the other's partner and we're not even into the first ten minutes of class and they've started bickering already," Blaise said amusedly as he stared at Harry who was retrieving a bottle of ink from his bag.

"I'm sure she prefers Malfoy over Goyle or Parkinson," Harry replied distractedly as he set the bottle of ink on the flat wooden surface and glanced between the two that were seated in front of him.

"You'd think that the way they are acting this year would make them long time lovers, trying to get each other's attention, squabbling like a married couple," Blaise said forlornly knowing that what he had said would cause the wheels in Harry's head to start turning.

And indeed they had because Harry's head shot up at record breaking speed as he stared at Blaise who had already returned to his work and was no longer paying attention to him. Harry redirected his gaze at Hermione and Draco, staring intently at them as if by chance, one would do something that would prove Blaise's theory right.

It had struck a nerve yesterday when he had thought that maybe Draco had some sort of interest in Hermione but he had come to terms with himself that he had probably wrongly interpreted Blaise's comments yesterday wrongly. It was quite impossible in his mind that Hermione would associate with a Slytherin other than Blaise, let alone fancy one or even go out with one.

He lowered his head calmly, sighing loudly in the process. "What's the matter with you, Potter?" Blaise smirked. The dark haired Slytherin relished in his accomplishment. Harry had taken the bait.

"What's the matter with me?" Harry whispered furiously. "What's the matter with you and Malfoy?" he questioned angrily, "What are the two of you playing at?"

Blaise looked perplexed for a moment, something only he could feign so well, "Whatever do you mean, Potter?" he asked airily.

"Is it some sort of game?" Harry asked forgetting his previous thoughts of a relationship between Draco and Hermione.

"Is what a game?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That Perks girl," Harry whispered, "you know, the scarlet. Why was Malfoy with her yesterday?" Blaise's expression fell, something that Harry didn't miss; fat chance of him missing anything now that his defenses were on overdrive.

"Draco is a big boy," Blaise replied scathingly. "It's none of my business what he chooses to do with his love life."

"Will you two shut up?" Hermione hissed from the table in front. "You've been whispering between yourselves for the last half hour of class. It's bad enough that you're talking during class but, its really annoying hearing the mumbling sound and not knowing what you're talking about."

Harry and Blaise chuckled lightly at the exasperated glare Hermione flashed them as she returned to her work. Draco also seemed annoyed but it was expected from him after all. "They really are like a married couple, aren't they Potter?" Blaise asked playfully which rewarded him a vicious glare from Harry.

"The day Hermione and Malfoy become a couple, Zabini," Harry whispered angrily, "is the day that I get caught snogging Parkinson in the Great Hall."

"Can I hold you to that?" Blaise laughed as the bell rang signaling the end of the very first seventh year class of Defense Against the Dark Arts for the year.

"Yes Zabini!" Hermione half shouted as she turned around and glared at both boys. "The day Harry snogs Parkinson in the Great Hall is the day Malfoy and I embark on a relationship," she finished testily.

"I'd be carefully what I wished for, Granger," Draco said snidely.

"The day that happens," Harry almost laughed but was too angry at himself for ever thinking that Hermione and Draco could have been in a relationship to crack a smile said, "I'll paint my face green and silver and walk around singing Weasley is our king!" And furiously walked out the door and headed to the Great Hall for lunch followed closely by Ron and Hermione.

"That'd be a nice change wouldn't it?" Blaise chuckled as he and Draco also left the classroom in hopes of getting to lunch.

* * *

The Great Hall had come to mean over the years, a place where the students could converse and interact during meals. It was the unofficial meeting area or more likely the one place that everybody had to go.

Harry sat grumpily at the Gryffindor table in the middle of the room. He stared broodingly at the Slytherin table and watched as Draco and Blaise took their usual seats and started to mow through their food.

"Something the matter, mate?" Ron asked although his mouth was stuffed with an assortment of vegetables and meat.

Harry's head quickly snapped up and he smiled eerily at Ron, "If Malfoy or Zabini were to be interested in any Gryffindor, who do you think it would be?"

"What!" Ron shouted in horror. "One of them is dating a Gryffindor?"

"Would you keep it down," Harry warned. He looked over at Hermione who was conversing animatedly with Ginny, "Neither one of them is dating a Gryffindor, well I hope not at least. But if they had to choose a Gryffindor, who do you think would be their first candidate?"

"That's a strange thing to ask, Harry," Ron said going back to his food. "I mean its Malfoy and Zabini. Plus, Malfoy's already going out with Perks isn't he? So it'll just be Zabini and the only Gryffindor girl that he talks to is Hermione," Ron concluded.

"The Slytherin Prince himself," Hermione screeched across the table a few seats down from Harry which caused his head to shoot up almost instantly. Ginny was as red as a tomato and was giggling nervously. "Uh..." Hermione stuttered, "Nasty little rumor," she said to everyone at the Gryffindor table who was looking at them curiously.

"What do you supposed she and the Weasley girl are talking about?" Draco asked curiously but scowled when he saw Hermione look over at him and Blaise.

She quickly lowered her gaze and returned to whispering with Ginny but it did not go unnoticed by Harry. Blaise grinned amusedly as he saw the ashen look on Harry's face, "It truly is amazing how gullible the Gryffindors are." Draco gave him a curious look but returned to his meal without another word. "You know I'd expect you to pay more attention to what I say about the Gryffindors since you fancy one," Blaise laughed as he watched the fork that was mere moments away from Pansy's lips drop to her plate with a clatter.

"Zabini," Draco warned, "Don't go around blurting out rubbish like that!"

* * *

Afternoon classes for seventh years were always seen as a nuisance but Transfiguration on their second day back after having a free evening the previous day seemed to be torture. Professor McGonagall had briskly walked into the room and said that they could sit with whomever they wanted as long as they followed the house unity rule.

The twelve students had separated into similar pairs as they had done in Defense Against the Dark Arts but this time Harry had elected to sit with Draco behind Hermione and Blaise. Professor McGonagall seemed shocked for a moment but then continued with her usual first day of class speech and dictated to the class the year's topics and work course. Harry however, could not pay attention at all.

He kept staring at Draco who would every so often glare at Hermione's back and then scowl at Blaise. It struck the Gryffindor as odd that Draco would show such hostility toward Blaise but then after an impediment of rational thought another idea struck Harry.

His face paled for the second time that day, "Malfoy," he called but Draco scowled and didn't bother to look up. "Malfoy," he tried again.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco sneered.

"Never mind," Harry whispered back as he saw Blaise slide a piece of parchment over to Hermione.

At first the idea would have been ludicrous but after what Ron had said at lunch it all seemed to fit. Of course Hermione and Draco weren't having an affair. That in itself screamed insanity but the idea that Blaise and Hermione were secret lovers wasn't that farfetched.

Harry felt like smacking himself over the head for a second. How could he have missed it? It had been staring him in the face all along. Blaise and Hermione were friends. They spent a great deal of their time together in the library last year. Hermione often talked about Blaise and most importantly Blaise had stopped Draco from calling her a mudblood.

The dreadful name alone made Harry shudder. He looked across at Draco again and then it hit him. So that's what it was all about. Ginny was in fact right. The only reason that Draco was pursuing Sally-Anne was as a form of revenge. What better way to annoy Blaise than by dating the one girl that he despised with every last fiber of his being. Wasn't what Blaise was doing the same thing; after all, Draco hated Hermione, didn't he?

"You did what, Blaise?" Hermione whispered. "Harry must be going berserk!"

"You have to admit, it's funny," Blaise grinned as he whispered back to her.

"You made Harry believe that Malfoy and I had or are probably still having some sort of secret relationship!" Hermione answered back. "I don't see anything remotely funny about that."

"You should have seen his face," Blaise laughed. "He looked like he was wondering if he was in some sort of demented reality."

"I can't believe you did that," Hermione said trying not to laugh as well but failed miserably and eventually cracked a smile. "I'm wondering why he hasn't asked me about it yet. It must be killing him!"

"Oh, the joys of my brilliant mind!" Blaise smiled as he turned around and looked at Harry who was lost in his own little world. "Imagine if you played along with it," He said slyly.

"You're horrible, do you know that?" Hermione asked seriously. "But it does sound like fun."

"I knew you'd see things my way."

"Wait till Malfoy starts seeing things my way," Hermione grinned broadly. "You should know I'm only doing this to scare the living daylights out of him."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Blaise laughed as the bell rang signaling the end of Transfiguration.

"Hermione," Harry called from the doorway. "Hurry up so you can walk to Herbology with us, unless you want to go with Zabini of course."

"I'm coming, Harry," she laughed as she gathered her books and winked at Blaise. "Why would I want to walk with Blaise anyway? He's going down there with Malfoy for Merlin's sake. You know better than to think that I would want to spend any _more_ time with the ferret," she added hotly as they all left the classroom.

* * *

The Herbology green house was just as they had left it last year. A multitude of potted plants lined the walkway and an even larger number of various types of greenery were set up on different tables and numerous nurseries.

Professor Sprout, the chubby plant obsessed woman was busily setting up the class's assignment for the day when the twelve students walked in. "Oh very good, you're all on time. Very lovely indeed. Today, we'll be working on the Mandrakes again. Choose your partners. You know the rules."

Happy that Professor Sprout had followed the same pattern as the previous teachers, the group separated once again into similar pairs. It was only Hermione, Blaise, Harry and Draco that seemed to constantly switch with every new class.

"Very well," Professor Sprout eyed the mentioned four curiously but just like every teacher before, she tried to suppress her shock. "These are adult Mandrakes so please be very careful. Your assignment is to just transfer them to larger pots. The first years couldn't quite handle that."

"So she shoves it on us," Draco whispered to himself, which strangely enough caused Hermione to smile and shock them both.

"Carry along then," Professor Sprout said as she disappeared behind a bright green curtain that no one had noticed before.

"Strange bird that one. Eh, Potter?" Blaise asked a sullen Harry.

Harry nodded. It may have seemed like a good idea at first to volunteer to be Blaise's partner; he would keep Hermione away from the Slytherin wouldn't he? But now, his rage had flared up and his dislike for the boy had escalated. What in Merlin's name had he been thinking?

That's when the idea hit him like a brick wall, Blaise would confess, of course he would! All Harry had to do was pretend that he fancied Hermione to make Blaise falter. There was no possible way Blaise would let Harry live un-scattered if he started showing affection towards Hermione.

No boy in their right mind who fancied a girl would let another guy show attention to her. No sir, not in the slightest of ways. Harry didn't care whether Blaise was a cold hearted Slytherin or not. Nobody could keep their cool in a situation like this unless there was something seriously wrong with them.

"Zabini, what do you think of Hermione?" Harry asked coyly. "I mean…" he faltered. "Let's say you were interested in her. How would you try to get her to notice you?"

"What!" Blaise asked completely shocked. "What the hell kind of question is that?" he snapped as he looked across at Hermione who was arguing fiercely with Draco.

What in the name of Merlin was the daft Gryffindor on now? Blaise stared back at Harry and smiled as a glimpse of understanding struck him, "What do you mean what I would do? Hermione's already noticed me."

Harry's face fell, "No, I mean like let's say a guy fancied Hermione and they wanted to let her know. What do you think he'd have to do?" If that didn't do it, Harry didn't know what else would.

"Are you suggesting that you know someone who fancies her?" Blaise asked trying to hide a grin.

Harry blushed furiously, "Maybe I do."

Then it clicked.

"You fancy Hermione?" Blaise grinned. The daft Gryffindor had been stupid enough to think that it was he; Blaise and Hermione who had the "affair", not Draco and her.

Harry Bloody Potter was trying to weasel the information out of him by making him jealous and Blaise couldn't have that. Oh no! He couldn't. He smiled gently at Harry, "You're her best friend, Potter. How hard could it possibly be to say, 'Hermione, I fancy you'? "

Of course life at Hogwarts would have been incredibly easy for Harry, Hermione and Blaise had Pansy Parkinson not overheard Blaise's last statement. Why was it that nobody seemed to mind their own business anymore? It really didn't help very much that she had only heard a tidbit and had of course jumped to the wrong conclusions.

Blaise, unaware of Pansy's new found attention to his conversation with Harry continued, "It really isn't the brightest idea for a Slytherin with such potential as myself to fall for a girl like Hermione but who could compete when a Gryffindor such as yourself for her attention."

Harry and Pansy's jaw dropped. Pansy quickly sunk her head back to her potted Mandrake and tried to erase that previous bit of information from her memory. Had the world suddenly gone mad! Which Slytherin in their right mind would let Harry Potter know that he fancied his best friend? A dumb dolt no less, Pansy thought.

"You mean," Harry started, staring at Blaise in shock as this wasn't going at all like he planned. Wasn't Blaise supposed to be all riled up and ready to kill? He was after all in some sort of relationship with Hermione, wasn't he?

"You want me to fancy Hermione?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Blaise smiled, "Of course I want you to." Blaise almost jumped with joy. "In fact, I'll even help you and Hermione get together," he concluded.

Stupid Gryffindor, trying to con him into admitting to something that was so far from the truth that it was a blatant lie. How had the idiotic boy come to such a conclusion? Blaise knew fully well that he had been hinting about a relationship between Hermione and Draco but leave it only to Harry to think that they were all in some sort of corrupted scheme to tick him into believing something that wasn't true.

Blaise smirked. Well, this was turning out better than his original plan.

Pansy Parkinson once again diverted her attention to the two raven haired boys. That was it, both fancied Hermione Granger. She glanced across at Hermione who looked like she was arguing with a smirking Draco and did a double take when she saw the bushy haired girl blush and the blond devil grin. She shook her head wildly, the world had gone mad!

She breathed in deeply. Class would be over in a few minutes. Yes, it would and then she could go to the hospital wings and tell Madame Pomfrey that she was completely off her rocker. Yes, yes she would be safe from the mad world there.

As if on cue the bell sounded through the greenhouse and she saw everyone else but the objects of her interest hurrying to leave the room. Blaise and Harry were still talking, Hermione and Draco were still looking at each other strangely and to her greatest horror she watched as Harry told Hermione that he would be walking back to the castle with Blaise.

Pansy felt as though at any moment she would see herself floating through the air on a bubble of lost common sense. She continued to make her way to the greenhouse door all the while still staring at Draco and Hermione, the only people left in the classroom.

Every last hope of waking up and realizing this was all some sort of twisted dream vanished as she saw Draco pull Hermione by the wrist closer to him and then… she fell.

The ache that throbbed in her head made her wince as she opened her eyes and saw blue, grey and brown towering over her and staring back amusedly. Any other person would have been less mortified in this situation but Pansy Parkinson screeched like a wounded banshee.

"You're all mad!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Don't come near me! You'll make me crazy too. I'll be sailing around on bubbles with lost insanity and sipping tea with my toes!"

Hermione, Neville and Draco flat out laughed.

"Now Parkinson, calm down," Draco ordered, trying his hardest not to double over in laughter. "You were hit on the head by the door," he said slowly. "We're not crazy," he sniggered. "It's just you."

"Malfoy," Hermione tried to reprimand him but broke out into another fit of giggles.

"Parkinson," Neville called in between his laughter. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he put three fingers into the air and waved them in front of her face.

Pansy glared evilly at Draco and Hermione and growled as she stared at Neville, "Don't wave around your filthy fingers in my face. How dare you!" she shrieked. "Bloody idiots is what you are, all of you. I'm not mad! I'm the only sane one," she pushed her way past Neville and pulled open the door. "I'm going to Madame Pomfrey right this minute. I'll tell her you've all gone crazy and she'll save me!"

Draco sniggered once more, "That's right."

"Yes, she'll save you and send you off to Saint Mungo's!" Neville laughed, grabbing a stitch in his stomach as he doubled over.

* * *

She knew that she would be late for her last class. What on earth had possessed her to stay and laugh with Neville in the greenhouse after Draco left was beyond her. It wasn't like Hermione Granger to be late for classes. Never.

She pushed the door open to her Arithmancy class and lowered her head as she waited for the expected reprimanding for being late by Professor Vector but when the cold voice didn't fill the air she looked up timidly. The class was buzzing with noise, something she hadn't noticed at all when she walked in.

Professor Vector was no where in sight. She turned her head until her eyes rested on a lone figure waving gleefully at her. It seemed that Arithmancy was the only class that she didn't share with anyone else but Blaise Zabini and a bunch of twittering Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that she had not had the pleasure of acquainting herself with before.

She sat down and grinned at Blaise and wondered what had gotten him in such a good mood when she had been the one to see Pansy Parkinson mowed over by a swinging door, not him, "Why are you so happy?" she asked cheerfully.

"Other than the fact that your best friend is insane," Blaise laughed. "I'm just happy I guess."

Hermione giggled, "You see, when you say things like that I can almost see the Slytherin in you."

"You can _almost_ see the Slytherin in me!" Blaise shrieked offensively. "I'll have you know Miss Granger that I am one hundred percent Slytherin. Through and through and without a doubt a Slytherin!"

"Are you trying to convince yourself or me?" She asked innocently as she unpacked her bag.

"You're impossible!" Blaise said exasperatedly. "Anyway, I carry good news," he said raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Wait, let me guess," Hermione said sarcastically.

"No time for that," Blaise laughed, ignoring the fact that Hermione didn't look too interested. "There's a new Slytherin Girl," he announced.

"Yes," Hermione laughed. "There are about seven new first year Slytherin girls." She glanced at him and winked teasingly, "I didn't know you liked them so young."

"Stop being such a smart ass, Granger."

"I've heard of smart donkeys but never of a smart-"

Blaise cut her off exasperatedly, "Would you let me finish before you jump to conclusions?"

"Alright then," she feigned innocence. "Let me hear your sad attempt at justifying the fact that you're molesting eleven year olds."

"You're sick, you know that?" Blaise replied moodily. "It was a good story you know," he pouted childishly.

"Is little Blaise having a hissy fit?"

"Oh shut up and listen!" he snapped. "There's a new girl in Slytherin in the _sixth_ year," he stressed.

Hermione eyes opened wide in anticipation before she asked, "Let me guess, her name is Jaden?"

"How did you know?" Blaise asked in disbelief which caused Hermione to smile.

"Friend of mine."

"She has friends?" He questioned skeptically.

"Quite a few actually," Hermione laughed. "I'm assuming you saw her at her most friendly mood already," she said sarcastically.

"If you mean taking a stab at my pride and shooting Draco's charm down, then yes. We've seen her at her friendliest," he replied, putting his hand behind his head and leaning against the chair as a glazed look captured his usually expressionless face.

"What's this?" Hermione mocked, noticing the change. "A mere sixth year had Blaise Zabini at a lost for words."

"Nice demoiselle, that one."

"I already knew that," Hermione laughed. "But what I don't get is what exactly is going on with Malfoy and Perks."

"Why does everyone assume that I know what the hell is going on with them. The last time I checked, I bloody well hated Perks! I don't keep tabs on her." Blaise shot angrily.

"Oh right, and the fact that Malfoy, who might I remind you, is your best friend has suddenly taken an interest in her doesn't seem a bit odd to you at all?"

"So he goes for the crazy loons, am I supposed to throw him a party," Blaise drawled.

"No, but you could tell me what the two of you are up to," Hermione said slyly.

"And it's moments like these that make me think _you_ belong in Slytherin," Blaise chuckled.

"Yes, well, my wit would be too much for all the other little Slytherins to handle," she mocked. "Now, tell me what you're up to," she demanded.

"Fine," Blaise replied submissively, "but you'll have to help me once I tell you."

Hermione looked at him peculiarly for a moment and then nodded her head, "I do need a bit of excitement this year, don't I?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Draco chuckled. "Potter thought that Granger and I had some sort of secret relationship but then changed his mind and decided it was you and her and then figured that if he pretended to fancy her, you would confess?"

"Yup!" Blaise grinned. "But it gets better."

"Oh, this I can't wait to hear," Draco drawled.

"I, your most devilishly cunning Slytherin have decided to aid Mister Potter in his attempt to seduce the lovely Miss Hermione Granger," Blaise and Draco burst out laughing.

"You told Potter you would help him?"

"You should have seen his face!"

Blaise and Draco were once again sitting in the Slytherin Common Room after dinner. The fire was lit and they had two mugs of butterbeer in front of them, laughing away merrily as they said goodbye to their second day back at Hogwarts.

"Hermione's decided to join in the fun," Blaise announced and Draco stopped mid-laugh.

"What do you mean, 'she decided to join in the fun'?" Draco mimicked.

"Well, see she's a very smart girl-" Blaise started but was interrupted by his companion.

"Blaise you twit!" Draco shouted. "She's a bloody Gryffindor and Head Girl no doubt!"

"The last time I checked, you were Head Boy and you were playing our little game too. Why can't she?" Blaise asked coyly.

"You insane nut!"

"Draco, Draco," Blaise chanted. "I didn't get around to telling you, did I?"

"Telling me you've gone off," Draco all but screamed. "I've already figure that out. You loon!"

"Must you shout all the time," the dark haired boy asked, as he inspected his nails aridly. "She was playing along before I even told her about our little mission. Said it'd be fun to toy with Potter and make you see things her way actually."

Blaise knew he had captured Draco's attention with his last comment. He smirked inwardly. In five, four, three, two. And there it was.

"What?"

He smiled appreciatively, "Well, when I told her that Potter assumed she was having some sort of secret relationship with you, she seemed amused. I of course used that to my advantage and she came to the conclusion that she would have some fun."

"Are you mad?" Draco asked concernedly. "Granger agreed to taunt Potter by flaunting around some stupid affair that could possibly tarnish her reputation?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's amazing what I can accomplish, isn't it?" Blaise asked proudly.

"She's playing along?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Must you always be so thick?"

"Is he always that daft," said a silky female voice from behind both Draco and Blaise.

Jaden, Blaise smirked.

She strolled gracefully to another armchair across from both boys and grinned, "Well, now that I've been clued in on the rules of the game, how about one more player?"

"What?" Draco sneered.

"He really is that daft," Jaden said as she smiled seductively at Blaise who grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Yes, Malfoy, I heard the entire conversation. Potter has insane theories, Granger's feeling playful, you're daft and Zabini's full of it."

"Why thank you," Blaise smirked back at her. She had not moved her eyes from him once since she had sat down and he seemed to relish in the fact that he had her complete attention. "What do you get out of this?" he asked huskily.

"I might be trying to make new friends," she replied seductively.

Draco looked on in bewilderment. What the hell had happened to everybody this year? Potter was off his rocker, thinking himself into foolish speculations. Granger was trying to drive everyone nuts. Blaise was gawking at some alluring bint and the mentioned bint was a psychopath with the personality of Moaning Myrtle; or that's what he figured so far.

Wait, but he hadn't gotten to the best part yet. Oh no, Pansy was the worst of them all. Waking up after being hit by a door and accusing him of being mad when she was the one that wanted to sip tea with her toes and float around on bubbles. And how could he forget the damned Ravenclaws. Perks was driving him mad and that Patil girl, what was her name again? Oh yes, Padma, the Ravenclaw virgin queen was off snogging boys in the Great Hall like she was in heat.

Seventh year and its mysteries, Draco thought as he once again directed his attention to the shamelessly flirting Slytherins in front of him, "Would you two stop that already!" he sneered.

Blaise looked at him perplexedly, "No need to get testy Draco, Jaden here can help you know. She and Hermione are buddies."

Jaden smirked maliciously, "Nothing passes you, does it Zabini?"

"You know Granger?" Draco asked incredulous.

"Well then, since I've already sparked both your interest, I'll be off to find my next victim," Blaise said sardonically.

"Don't scare him too much, Zabini. It won't work too well if he isn't on our side," Draco called to the retreating figure.

"Who's he gone off to terrorize?" Jaden asked while inspecting under her nails to see if dirt was stored there during the day.

"That's none of your business." Draco snapped. "Now, why do you really want to get involved?" he questioned harshly.

"Funny story really," she replied, still not looking up from her perfectly manicured nails.

"Well look at that," Draco drawled. "I'm in the mood to laugh."

"Did you just try to be funny, Malfoy?" she asked sweetly, in that same melodic voice that she had used the previous night, before she had crushed Blaise's pride with her smarts.

"Jaden! Get to the point," he growled.

"If you must know, which according to you; you must. I'm on a mission of my own."

"What's your mission?" Draco eyed her suspiciously.

"I've taken it upon myself to help out a friend," she replied but continued as she saw Draco open his mouth to ask the inevitable question. "In order to help out my friend, I have to lure Blaise into some sort of friendship you see. My little friend has an infatuation, shall we say, for the boy."

"By luring him in, what exactly do you plan on doing?" the blond Slytherin smirked. Somebody had a crush on Blaise, eh?

"Come now," Jaden laughed cynically. "You didn't really think Hermione was putting up with you for no reason, did you?"

"Granger fancies-"

"How daft can you possibly be Malfoy? Of course Hermione doesn't," the fiery redhead paused. "Hermione, like me, shares a common interest in the matter. You see, what better way to kill two birds with one stone, so to say."

"I didn't think Granger had it in her," Draco said admiringly.

"You'd be surprised what that one can think up."

"Yes, well, you'd be surprised at how well I can manipulate the whole situation," Draco smirked evilly.

His mind had gone into overdrive when he realized that Hermione had no choice but to succumb to him unless she wanted to fail miserably at her plan. If she didn't work with him, she would fail at her attempts to bring Blaise and her dippy chit of a friend together, wouldn't she. The joys of simple blackmail, Draco thought as he spoke again. "I should be off now," he said emotionlessly, although inside he was bursting with joy. I'm going to put Granger through hell, I'm going to put Granger through hell, he sang in his head. "I believe I have a certain Ravenclaw waiting in the Astronomy Tower for me."

* * *

Glorious sunshine illuminated the Great Hall as Hermione along with Jaden streamed into the expansive room, linked at the elbows with Ginny Weasley. Hermione looked unusual among the sea of red but stood out beautifully in the reflection cast by the rich crimson of Jaden's hair and the burnt cherry of Ginny's.

Draco watched as she grinned at something Ginny had said and then he smirked. So that's who the dippy chit was. He saw Jaden leave them and head to the Slytherin table as the two Gryffindors laughed their way over to Harry and Ron.

He eyed Jaden for a moment; she rested between Pansy and some other nameless sixth year girl. The girl sure was sharp, he admitted to himself. There she was only minutes ago with Hermione and now seated comfortably next to Pansy Parkinson; the wickedest lass he'd ever had the pleasure of acquainting himself with.

He watched as Blaise spooned around a hard boiled egg on his plate and looked across at the Gryffindor table. That was becoming a habit, wasn't it? The dark haired boy looked almost longingly back at his egg and then neutrally at Draco.

"Parkinson is coming over here."

Indeed by the time Draco looked away from Blaise, Pansy had found herself seated comfortably at the side of him, where not too long ago an attractive looking brunette had been. He seemed to like brunettes these days, he noticed. Not dark haired though but more caramel colored.

"What do you want?" he growled.

"I can't come over and talk to you anymore?" Pansy asked seductively, bringing her legs closer to Draco's under the table until they brushed against his.

"Are you attempting to seduce me in the Great Hall, Pansy?" Draco asked huskily.

Pansy batted her eyelashes and licked her lips suggestively, "Is it working, Draco," she purred.

"No."

He got up and stormed off in the direction of the doors but not before making sure that he had accidentally toppled over his goblet into Pansy's lap. An honest mistake, really. Anyone's hand could have unintentionally lifted their full goblet and dashed it at their cheating ex-girlfriend. So it happened to be him. Lucky thing he knew it was an accident.

"Here Pansy," Blaise offered as he too accidentally toppled over Draco's empty dish into her lap while he tried to reach over and grab a napkin. "Honest mistake," he smirked when the steaming vixen glared at him and attempted to exit the hall without being noticed.

Jaden couldn't have that though; she stood up and called to Pansy, "Dear God Parkinson! Your mother pays for all those etiquette lessons and you're still making a fool of yourself in public. I heard pumpkin juice and jam stain," she sniggered.

Blaise looked over at the red head and smirked. Everyone in the Great Hall had heard her and were either looking at Pansy amusedly or laughing. Really, he had to admire that one alright. That's when he saw the Ravenclaw bookworm himself exiting the hall. The dark haired prince stood up loftily and also made his exit.

"Should I assume that you don't want something like that to happen to you?" Blaise snarled when he was a short distance behind Terry Boot and out of the Great Hall.

The withdrawn Ravenclaw boy looked up alarmed, "What do you want now, Zabini?"

"Just to know if you've decided which side you're on yet," Blaise replied nonchalantly.

The doors of the Great Hall once again swung open, only this time to reveal one Miss Padma Patil. She looked at her ex-boyfriend and her housemate suspiciously. They seemed to be involved in some sort of argument and she knew Blaise well enough to say that he only sneered at someone when he wasn't getting what he wanted.

"What are you two doing?" Padma asked aggressively; something that shocked even her.

"Not now Patil," Blaise barked. "Shouldn't you be off somewhere snogging some desperate half-wit?" he asked cynically. "Oh wait, that's right. I'm having a little chat with him, aren't I?"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Terry erupted. "You have no right to say such horrid things to her."

"Honestly Boot," Blaise smirked. "I called you the half-wit, not her."

"I don't care!" Terry shouted. "How dare you be so crude to something of such extravagant beauty?" Padma giggled girlishly.

So Boot was playing nice after all, Blaise thought as he sneered at Padma, "See you've got yourself a new boyfriend."

"What, hoping he'll cheat on me like you did?" She glared as she moved closer to Terry and laced her arm through his. "It's a shame what some people let slip by," she said bitterly as she tugged the bookish boy away from an agitated Blaise.

It really did amaze him that he was able to feign emotions so well. There he was standing in the corridor pretending to be mad when in actuality he was jovial enough to bypass the most powerful of cheering charms. It was sensibly senseless how as soon as a chap defended some broads honor that she was ready to lay out the red carpet for him.

He grinned foolishly. Boot was a good sport then.

* * *

Clammy and cold were the only two words that ran through Hermione's head at the moment. Yet another morning of Potions. She looked across to the person that sat next to her. Malfoy. The damn ferret had to be in every class but Arithmancy with her, didn't he? She wondered momentarily what his future profession would be since she hardly pictured him as the type to become a Medi wizard.

Billowing black robes swished dangerously into the room and every last one of the students stopped what they had previously been doing and looked at the head of the room attentively.

"I want three groups of four," Snape barked threateningly. "Group one, Potter, Zabini, Boot and Perks. Group two, Patils, Longbottom and Goyle. Group three, Weasley, Parkinson, Malfoy and Granger."

"Stupid man," Draco mumbled under his breath.

"Not your favorite professor anymore, Malfoy?" Hermione questioned, slightly intrigued.

"If you must know Granger," Draco smirked. "Any professor that puts me in a group with an insufferable banshee, a stupid weasel and a… gorgeous muggleborn doesn't exactly strike me as sane. How does he expect me to work when I can't concentrate," he leered.

Hermione was stunned. Was there another muggleborn in their group, she found herself asking. Had Draco Malfoy just said that she was gorgeous again? She was hallucinating, wasn't she? She knew she should have gone to Madame Pomfrey yesterday and told her that there was something wrong with her. The same thing had happened in Herbology.

They were bickering as usual and then out of nowhere she had heard Malfoy say that she was gorgeous but she hadn't seen him say it. She was loosing her mind, hearing things, strange things, not very sane things.

She looked over at Draco again as if to make sure that he was next to her. They had already walked over to Pansy and Ron who were actually doing what they should have been doing; spitting insults at each other. That's what she should have been doing with her partner also but no. She had to go and have hallucinations and then jumble all her thoughts as she overanalyzed the situation, didn't she? Stupid brain.

Pansy's attention quickly aimed itself at Draco. She saw that he was smirking playfully for a change but that his attention was solely focused on Hermione. The dazed Gryffindor at his side. Wonder what that's about, Pansy asked herself.

"Draco," she purred. "Are you alright? You left in such a hurry this morning; I didn't get to tell you that I wasn't mad that your pumpkin juice spilled over my robes."

"Insufferable banshee," Draco muttered, only so that he and Hermione could hear. "Good you won't be expecting an apology then."

"I'd much prefer a kiss as reconciliation for my favorite robe," she smiled causing Ron and Hermione to snigger and Draco to blanch.

"Cut up your Gillyweed, Parkinson," he ordered, moving a bit closer to Hermione to make sure that he was a good two feet away from Pansy.

"I can't remember how to, Draco," she replied. "Can you show me how?" she asked huskily.

"Weasley will show you," Draco barked as he bypassed Hermione and stood on the opposite side of her so that now she stood in between him and Pansy.

Ron begrudgingly advanced next to Pansy and held the Gillyweed in front of her eyes and then picked up the dull knife, "Okay Parkinson, try to stay with me here. You take the Gillyweed and place it on the cutting board like that." He placed the green weed on the wooden board. "Then you use the knife; that's what the shinny thing in my hand is and then you slice the Gillyweed like this," he finished, running the blade over the weed once. "Do you think you can manage that?"

Pansy felt incredibly stupid when she noticed that Hermione and Draco were sniggering but she was determined not to be made a fool of, "Why thank you, _Ron_. I just needed to be reminded is all." She giggled girlishly and flipped a few strands of hair behind her head.

Draco, Hermione and Ron stared at her as though she'd lost her mind, "Are you feeling ok Parkinson?" Ron asked. "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing."

"Oh, _Ron_," she giggled again. "That's so sweet of you to take notice of me like that."

Ron looked across at Hermione who just grinned back trying to suppress her giggles. 'She's gone mental,' he mouthed.

Pansy, noticing that Draco had not looked up at all from his spot at the table decided that flirting with Ron wouldn't help her achieve her goal in getting Draco's attention so she stopped and instead decided to taunt Hermione, "You know Granger, it's only a little game between them."

"What are you on about now Parkinson?" Hermione asked hotly.

"Potter and Blaise," Pansy said mysteriously.

Hermione stared at her for a moment then looked across at the other table where she saw Harry staring profusely at Blaise who was whispering nonstop to Terry Boot. It struck her as strange but she didn't bother to show anymore interest as Snape was now passing by their table and inspecting what each of them was doing. Pansy also thought it would be a good idea to drop the topic and the entire table stayed quiet until the end of the class.

* * *

The Great Hall chattered loudly on the warm September night as both Slytherin princes sat at their usual seats and glared around the hall. Nothing of much excitement had happened all day and it was driving them both insane.

Blaise looked across at the Hufflepuff table; they were all seated and primly going through the meal. Then at the Gryffindor table; causing a mess as usual and then at the Ravenclaws. Well that was exciting, wasn't it? Yes, in fact it was. Sally-Anne Perks and Padma Patil, the center of the table itself, seemed to be in an argument but not just any argument. It looked like a full out war.

Padma was red in the face and she held her fork up threateningly while Sally-Anne kept shooting her menacing glares. As if on cue, they both stood up and Padma began shouting at the top of her lungs.

"You backstabbing bitch! How dare you accuse me of anything when it's all your bloody fault? If you hadn't gone and tried to mess everything up WE'D STILL BE TOGETHER!" she waved the fork around in Sally-Anne's face until finally it fell to the floor when she could no longer control her anger.

Ginny spewed out pumpkin juice from her spot next to Hermione and earned herself two murderous glares from the battling Ravenclaws when she and Hermione snorted.

"Who are you kidding Patil?" Pansy shrieked, thinking that it was about time she let the cat out of the bag. "It's common knowledge that Zabini has taken a fancy to Granger."

Harry, who had been watching the show in amusement and wondering why the professors hadn't intervened, started coughing fitfully. That stupid banshee had to go and ruin everything, didn't she? He scowled at Pansy and was about to insult her but was beaten to it.

"You stupid cow, Parkinson!" Ginny spat, defending Hermione's honor. "I don't see you doing any better. Wasn't it just Monday that Malfoy left the hall with Perks and not you?" she added sweetly.

Pansy scowled, "Yes Perks, what are you playing at? Already had a go with one of the Slytherin males so now you're going in for the kill with the others?"

Sally-Anne's anger flared up, "Why you insolent Slytherin. How dare you?" She screamed across the Hall.

"At least she's a Slytherin. Backstabbing her friends is expected of her," Padma growled at the other Ravenclaw.

"Like you weren't in on it also!"

"Look," Pansy laughed cynically. "The little Ravenclaws are trying to rip each other apart. Would you like me to show you how it's done, Patil?" she asked sweetly advancing toward the Ravenclaw table. "Perks deserves a good trashing for not knowing when she should draw the line!"

"Enough already, Parkinson," Blaise interrupted right after she left her seat next to Vincent Crabbe. "It's sad enough that they're having a go at it." He looked at both girls this time instead. "You act like I didn't even try to make up for it!" he started to shout at Padma but then he looked at Sally-Anne. "And you act like you did the world a favor by being a dumb bitch. But I'll have the both of you know that you're fighting for a lost cause."

He stood up angrily and headed through the oak doors leaving behind a shocked, if not bewildered Great Hall. Immediately the hall began buzzing with talk as the two Ravenclaw girls and Pansy Parkinson sank back in theirs seats after being scolded by the dark haired Slytherin who was close to rage.

"Silence!" Dumbledore's voice boomed across the hall. He had an unusual twinkle in his eyes as he looked down at the crowded room. "Misses Perks, Patil and Parkinson will wait here until everyone has cleared out the hall," he said and then looked over at Draco. "Mister Malfoy if you please, could you escort Mister Zabini back as well? Both of you will also please be present here at the end of dinner."

A/N: Well there it is. The end of chapter two which I hope was very interesting and gave you a little more incite into the story.

Please review!

Angel


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